So many people tried to stream Sunday morning Mass in the Diocese of Greensburg that it overloaded the church’s computer system, diocesan officials said.
About 45,000 people were able to tune-in online to view the service Sunday morning, according to a release. It was presided over by Bishop Edward C. Malesic at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, the mother church of the diocese.
But more than 10,000 people who tried to log onto the diocesan website were locked out when they received a “server busy” message in the moments before the service was set to begin.
“We anticipated the bishop’s streaming Mass would be popular,” said Jennifer Miele, a spokeswoman for the diocese. “Turns out, our parishioners are determined to stay connected to their faith during this crisis.”
Miele said many people who could not watch Mass on the website were able to find it on diocese’s YouTube channel as well as its Facebook page.
To ensure people will be able to stream the Mass, the diocese is beefing up its computer system in anticipation of a growing audience in the coming weeks.
People who want to receive a text message each Sunday with a link to where they can view the Mass online can text the word “Faith” to 724-305-3057.
A video recording of the March 22 Mass is available to view online. The diocese also has a list of upcoming Masses that can be livestreamed.
Malesic told viewers who were able to see the livestream that “the saddest and most difficult decision I have had to make as the bishop of Greensburg was to suspend the celebration of the Eucharist in public.”
The bishop urged people who were watching the Mass to “make sure you are praying along with me right now, not just watching it like another online video.”
He also urged people to reach out to others who may need spiritual or emotional support.
“Call someone who is alone,” he said. “Write a letter to a friend who hasn’t heard from you in a while. Give yourself generously — and try to take care of the poor.”
The Greensburg diocese serves 140,000 parishioners in 78 parishes in Westmoreland, Armstrong, Indiana and Fayette counties.
